June 8, 2018

The ‘Viking Ginseng’, Rhodiola, May Help Relieve Burn out and Stress

Photo by Gian Cescon on Unsplash

Rhodiola is a plant that grows in the northern-colder parts of Europe. It has been used for centuries to help cope with the cold winters in Norway, Sweden, and Iceland and was used by the Vikings to improve stamina, reduce symptoms of stress, improve fatigue, and help fight off infections. It is currently the best selling supplement in Norway where people use it to improve energy.

The word adaptogen in herbal medicine refers to an herb or plant extract that helps the body adapt to stress and fatigue, while promoting or restoring normal physiological (bodily) functioning. Rhodiola is just such an herb. It’s the root of the Rhodiola plant which contains the highest concentration of Rosavins and Salidroside that has the greatest impact on restoring or supporting wellness.

Rhodiola increases your energy and helps you handle stress, while improving your mood and reducing mental fatigue. It promotes a soothing, calming effect, while steadily improving a sense of wellbeing. This herb also supports endurance so you can achieve more with exercise or for sports performance. Rhodiola may also support healthy immune system function over the winter and during times of prolonged stress.

Stress and Burn Out

Stress is an unfortunate fact of life. Everyone experiences stress to some degree, but many of us are under very high amounts of stress on a daily basis. This excessive level of stress that so many people currently experience is not normal – it contributes to emotional overload, behavioral changes, and physical manifestations throughout the body. Poor quality of sleep, muscle tension, headaches, overeating or not eating enough, alcohol and drug abuse, and increased risk of infections and illness are just some unpleasant results of stress when it is not properly managed.

The Rhodiola Study

Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna tested the effects of Rhodiola rosea root extract on 118 burnt out people between the ages of 30 to 60. It was a 12 week study and the participants were given 400mg a day of Rhodiola every day. Improvements were measurable within the first week and over the study there was a good level of improvement in fatigue, emotional exhaustion, lack of joy, loss of zest for life, and depersonalization where everything seems flat, empty, and uninteresting. Compliance was high and the herb was very safe. The multicenter study is published in the journal Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment.